Dehydrating drum



March 5, 1968 P, s. MARTIN 3,371,426

DEHYDRATING DRUM Filed July 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

Perry 8. Martin his Attor ney March 5, 1968 P. s. MARTIN DEHYDRATINGDRUM 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 19, 1965 IIIIIIIIIII IIIJ FIG. 4

UUUBDUUUUH FIG. 2

In v e n t o r Perry S. Martin his A'no ney 3,371,426 DEHYDRATING DRUMPerry S. Martin, Harrisonburg, Va., assignor t Egg-Vi- Tein Company,Harrisonburg, Va., a partnership Filed July 19, 1965, Ser. No. 473,135 4Claims. (Cl. 34-134) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relatesto an improvement in devices for drying viscous masses using a heatedrevolving drum with means for dividing the mass into smaller portionswhereby the heat is applied effectively. The device provides for anaxial duct for introducing a stream of preheated air and withdrawing airwith accumulated moisture. The device includes numerous additionaldetails, among which is the use of parallel arms extending radially fromthe axis of the drum and a plurality of disks rolling against theinterior of the drum, and means for self-cleaning the disks and for themounting of the disks so as to render them highly eflicient.

This invention relates to the drying of viscous masses and has for itsprincipal object the provision of a heated revolving dehydrating drumwith means therein for dividing the mass into smaller portions to enablethe heat to dry the mass more effectively.

A further object of the invention is to provide an axial duct, which maybe in two parts, whereby a stream of preheated air may be dischargedinto the drum to facilitate drying of the contents and the moist air maybe withdrawn from the drum.

Other objects are set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a central section.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation.

FIGURE 3 is a detail of the bearing and the nearby sprocket for drivingthe drum.

FIGURE 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a section through the center pipe.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1 the housing for the drum is a box-likechamber with insulated walls and 11, a ceiling 12 through which anopen-ended stack 14 extends to carry products of combustion from thechamber. The drum 15 has at each end a hollow stub shaft 16 (FIG. 3)with its flange 22 welded or otherwise secured to the proximate circularend plate 17 of the drum. The shaft turns in bearings 18 mounted onpedestals 20 made of channels irons 19 having floor engaging feet 21. Anannular spacer 23 is located between the bearing 18 and the nearbyflange 22.

The right-hand stub shaft 16 carries a drive sprocket 26 located outsidethe housing and carrying a chain 27 driven by a motor 24. A non-rotatingcentral pipe forming part of the air system passes through the twohollow stub shafts 16 and is preferably in sections 25a and 2511, eachwith a flange 28, (FIGURE 5), these being bolted together as at 29 withan air-tight septum 30 between. As will later be described, heated airpasses to section 25a and because of the septum the heated air passesinto the drum 15 through a series of closely spaced holes 32 while onthe other side of the septum 30 the similar holes 34 of section 25b suckin air from the inside of the drum because of a vacuum created asfollows:

An exhaust blower 35 powered by motor 36 draws air from rectangular airduct 37 communicating with the central pipe 25.

The air discharge pipe 38 extends above the ceiling and through the roof39 (FIG. 2) and is curved as at 41 to prevent rain from entering. Theintake pipe delivers air to two parallel pipes 43 and 44 joined by acurved a... United States Patent 0 3,371,426 Patented Mar. 5, 1968U-section 45 and the parallel pipes are heated by burners 47 fed by afuel line 48 for oil or gas and fuel flow is automatically controlled byvalve 49 so as to maintain a temperature of from F. to 220 F. in thedrum 15 which receives the heated air through pipe 44, rectangular airduct 46 and central pipe section 25a.

Inside the drum near each end plate 17 is an arm 50 welded to a collar56 adjustably positioned on the station ary pipe 25 by a number of largeset screws 63 whereby the position of the arms 50 may readily be shiftedwhenever desired.

As best seen in FIGURE 4 the arms 50 are slotted as at 54 and receiveshafts 51 and 52 each of which carries a large number of disks ofstainless steel about a foot in diameter and from A to /8 of an inchthick carefully located about an inch apart by spacers which in theusual manner assure correct positioning as the disks 55 on the twoshafts overlap and therefore tend to be self-cleaning. The drum revolvescounter-clockwise and the disks may revolve by contact with the drum butmore often because of the slots 54 move with their shaft as a unittoward or away from the axis of the drum. The chosen position is asshown because the material being treated tends to rotate with the drumto about 45 from the bottom. At the start of the operation the materialis fed into the drum to about a foot in depth or it may be at a levelwhere the lower disks 55 are just covered. The cutting action of thedisks greatly decreases the time required to dry viscous materials.

Exhaust blower 35 creates a vacuum of about 4" of water in the drum. Theincoming heated air takes up moisture from the material. The wet air,because of the vacuum, is withdrawn through holes 34 in central pipesection 2511- The intake opening 57 and the exit opening 58 of the drumare so arranged for greatest convenience and may be altered in positionwhen desired. They are closed when the drums are heated as for exampleby doors of any chosen type such as 59.

As the drum is in a closed compartment with insulated walls 10, 11 and12, the interior of the compartment, due to the burners 47, becomeshotter than the interior of the drum, sometimes as high as 400 F. Theinterior is cooled by the rapid evaporation of moisture from thecontents.

What I claim is:

1. A dehydrating device comprising a drum, means for rotating the drum,a non-rotating pipe extending axially into the drum, closed at its endwithin the drum and having a longitudinal series of openings fordischarging air into the drum, a second non-rotating pipe extendingaxially into the drum, closed at its end within the drum and having alongitudinal series of openings therein, means for heating the airpassing into the drum and means for drawing the heated air into theopenings in the second non-rotating pipe and out of the system therebycreating a vacuum in the drum, which vacuum causes the air to passthrough the first mentioned pipe, the interior of said drum havingparallel arms extending radially from the axis of the drum position ashaft parallel to the axial pipes, and a plurality of disks rollingagainst the inside of the drum and mounted on said shaft.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the arms are at an angle of about 45from vertical, whereby the disks engage the material being treated asthe latter tend to climb the bottom of the drum as the latter isrotated, and all of the disks are fast to their shaft so that the shaftand its disks revolve as a unit.

3. The device of claim 1 with a second shaft parallel to the first shaftwhich second shaft carries a plurality of disks rotating in part betweenthe disks on the first shaft, whereby the disks tend to beself-cleaning.

3 4. The device of claim 3 in which each of the shafts is mounted inslots in the arms so each shaft may move with its disks toward and awayfrom the axis of the drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,284,787 11/1918 Sertakoif 34138X 1,339,032 5/1920 Lenzi 34-92 1,795,495 3/1931 Lavett 34--109 42,709,306 5/1955 Magnusson et a1. 34138 X 2,841,339 7/1958 Gilmore241-54 3,224,110 12/1965 Kroon 34124 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,338 8/1934Great Britain.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

C. R. REMKE, H. B RAMEY, Assistant Examiners.

